EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — A 70-year-old El Paso man will spend the rest of his life in prison after a jury convicted him of capital murder in the 2023 shooting deaths of two neighbors in the Lower Valley.
After three hours of deliberation on Tuesday, a jury found Mario Lechuga Velazquez guilty of capital murder in the shooting deaths of Joseph Carter and James Burton.
The verdict followed six days of testimony.
Velazquez was automatically sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the early-morning attack on the pair of cousins on Friday, Oct. 13, 2023, in the 7600 block of Parral.
He was also found guilty of aggravated assault for firing toward another neighbor who was standing on the sidewalk with Burton at the time of the shooting.
According to the El Paso District Attorney’s Office, trial evidence included surveillance video from Velazquez’s home that showed him approaching Carter after he stepped into his yard and shot him.
Carter managed to retreat into his home for help, and Velazquez returned to his home, according to the evidence.
Minutes later, Velazquez emerged again, walked across the street, and shot Burton as Burton stood outside another neighbor’s home, jurors heard.
Jurors also heard a 911 call placed by Burton after he saw Velazquez armed with a gun. During the call, Burton described Velazquez standing across the street moments before gunshots erupted again. The recording then captured Burton screaming that he had been shot.
“Surveillance video showed that the Defendant’s callous attack was premeditated and utterly without justification,” District Attorney James Montoya said. “We are grateful to the jury for their thoughtful deliberation and rejection of the Defendant’s claim of self-defense. While nothing can undo the pain felt by the Carter and Burton families, today’s verdict ensures the Defendant will never step foot in free society again.”
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